1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image pick-up apparatus and an information processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, image pick-up apparatuses have functions of processing an audio signal acquired via a built-in microphone or an external microphone, and recording the processed signal or transmitting the processed signal to an external device. These image pick-up apparatuses record audio data together with moving image data in a recording medium. These image pick-up apparatuses include a zoom lens, a focus lens, and also a diaphragm. When the lenses are moved and the diaphragm is opened/closed or when the lenses are moved so as to prevent image from blurring by the drive of the drive unit, in some cases, a noise due to the drive has been generated. In other words, the drive noise caused by the drive of the apparatus is collected by a microphone and recorded together with the audio signals. Thus, when a user reproduces a moving image, the noise makes the reproduced audio sound in the environment at the time of recording hard to hear.
Regarding such an issue, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-329689 discusses a technique useful for an image pick-up apparatus including an optical zoom function and an electronic zoom function. According to this technique, when a user performs the zoom operation, high speed zooming is realized while suppressing the noise associated with the optical zoom by performing low speed operation of the optical zoom function together with the electronic zoom function. The optical zoom function is a function of optically zooming on an image by moving the zoom lens. The electronic zoom function is a function of zooming on an image by clopping a portion of the captured image, and recording and displaying it. According to the technique discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-329689, the optical zoom function is moved at a low speed to move the zoom lens slowly, so that the noise (drive noise) is controlled. However, since the zooming also becomes slow, the electronic zoom function has been used so as to compensate the optical zoom function.
However, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-329689, even if the optical zoom function is operated at a low speed, in some cases, the noise of the optical zoom operated at a low speed is recorded, and the noise (drive noise) has not been reduced to a satisfactory extent.